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Experienced gardeners are well aware of this reality and have even come to enjoy the ephemeral nature of their outdoor spaces.
gardening experts
Removing fruit tree suckers is an important part of pruning your fruit trees. They’re sometimes called watershoots, but in fact, watershoots are something entirely different. Pruning is one of the 5 key fruit tree jobs. Whether you’re pruning in summer or winter (or any other time for that matter), removing suckers is an important part of the job. What’s a sucker? Good question! Suckers are shoots growing from below the graft union on your tree. Sometimes they’re growing directly from the roots and coming up through the soil near the trunk of the tree. Most fruit trees have been grafted. This means that shoots from below the graft union are growing from the rootstock, rather than from the variety. Watershoots are something different. Just like suckers they are strong, vertical shoots, but watershoots grow from above the graft and need dealing with differently. Why should you always remove fruit tree suckers? There are three very good reasons why you should always remove these shoots from your fruit trees. It’s often better to illustrate these things rather than talk about them. Suckers are pretty common, so we have lots of photos from our orchards to demonstrate what we’re talking about! Can suckers get as big as the tree? This is a little plum tree with two suckers coming up from the roots. Notice how they’re pretty much the same diameter as the original tree? In just one year, both suckers have grown taller than the tree. Just imagine, for a minute, what this scenario would look like in another year or two if the suckers were left intact. Within a very short space of time, the original grafted tree would become increasingly difficult to distinguish. In fact, the suckers would likely out-compete the original tree, increasing its chances of dying. If you have a multi-trunked fruit tree in your garden, this is one of the common explanations for how it got there.
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The vanilla orchid is beautiful, but do you know how to grow vanilla beans from that lovely plant? We delve into this complex topic!One of the most beloved flavors in the world is vanilla. Vanilla extract is essential for baking, and it’s a lovely flavor for most confections. This leaves a lot of gardeners wondering how to grow vanilla at home. Vanilla bean plants are lovely climbing orchids that host vanilla beans with patience. But growing vanilla bean plants isn’t as simple as planting seeds and watching them take off. A vanilla orchid has specific needs, based on the native habitat of vanilla orchids altogether. You may already have some idea of what growing orchids is like, but don’t let that discourage you! It’s possible to grow a vanilla bean plant in a controlled environment. With so many different types, you can have vanilla flavoring of many kinds. Your own vanilla seed pods will taste that much better when you’ve done the planning and work of caring for a vanilla bean orchid. Let’s cover caring for vanilla plants, and the different varieties out there. You’ll be on your way to growing your own vanilla pods in no time. This piece covers the two most popular cultivars of vanilla plants: Vanilla planifolia and Vanilla tahitensis. These are commonly referred to as Vanilla, vanilla orchid, flat-leaf vanilla, or West Indian vanilla. Vanilla tahitensis originates from southern North America where Aztec peoples hybridized two varieties into one. Vanilla planifolia is native to Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize. Both were transferred to Europe via Spanish conquistadors in the years 1300-1500. These are vines that use trees for support. They grow in a tropical climate under rainforest lower canopies. The vines zig-zag and have elliptic leaves. After a few years of vanilla vine growth, a greenish, yellow, or white flower forms. The flower lasts only one day. In this small window, self-fertile flowers pollinate. If no pollination occurs, the flowers drop. As the climbing vine matures a few years and pollination is successful, the fruit begins to form. They first resemble small 6 to 9-inch bananas that take about 6 months to mature. Aged pods are harvested and cured for extraction. Usually, the entire pod is macerated and distilled in alcohol for flavoring. Some scrape the inside of the pod and use real vanilla to flavor all kinds of culinary confections. Most of the plants used for growing vanilla extract come from Madagascar, Tahiti, and Mexico. It can only be cultivated in the wild at 10-20 degrees north and south of the equator. In captivity, it is necessary to hand pollinate. Here are a few of the varieties commonly cultivated by curious gardeners who are up for the challenge. West Indian Vanilla (Vanilla pompona): a lovely plant with large glossy green leaves and long thin stems up to 5 meters long. Native to Mexico, and South Tropical America. Bunches of fragrant flowers open in succession and produce long pods. Flat-leaved vanilla (Vanilla planifolia): one of the largest plants, this cultivar grows up to 30 meters. It prefers a swamp habitat or tropical environment. Tahitian Vanilla (Vanilla tahitensis): native to Tahiti, this vanilla bean plant has yellowish-green flowers that produce broader, more squat pods than West Indian. This is one of the most common vanilla bean plant cultivars, and the vanilla extract has a flavor distinct from other varieties. Leafless Vanilla (Vanilla aphylla): native to Southeast Asia, this vanilla bean plant has clusters of three to four flowers that bloom in spring and summer. Unlike other cultivars, leafless vanilla has no foliage. Flowers grow directly from internodes situated evenly on vines. Mexican Vanilla (Vanilla mexicana): this vanilla bean is native to Central Florida, Mexico, and areas of Central and South America. One of the most common varieties, it grows squat and short at less than 2 feet in length. Unless you live in a region where tropical conditions exist year-round, you’ll want to have a controlled environment for your vanilla plant. If you live in Southern Florida, the base of a tree in an area where there is bright filtered shade in the afternoon might work. In all other regions, plant vanilla plants in small pots with an orchid potting mix. Make sure your orchid has a pole to climb or some kind of support system for upward mobility. The container and potting medium need adequate drainage, as orchids of this kind do not like to be waterlogged. Use a sanitized cutting implement, and remove ⅓ of the bottom roots. Then, plant the rest of the plant and add your stake, pole, or whatever you will use to train your vanilla plants.
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Growing mustard greens in your garden allows you to put a pop of zingy flavor into your salad mixes. A cool-season crop of peppery leaves also adds interest to the garden. Rebecca Hendricks has a step-by-step guide for you.Mustard is an excellent cool-season crop with interesting leaves ranging from purple to bright green. Mustard can taste mild, or it can be spicy and peppery. It is a favorite in southern gardens. Growing mustard greens is simple, and they are high in antioxidants, a good source of fiber, and high in vitamins A and C. Mustard greens are popular in a variety of dishes, from microgreens to curries and stir-fries. They have been consumed for more than 5,000 years. They were originally grown in Asia and the Mediterranean, and today, countries like India, Nepal, China, and Japan are the leading growers of this delicious green. In addition to being prized for its leaves, mustard can be grown for its seeds, which are used to make the condiment mustard. Mustard greens include a variety of species such as black mustard, white mustard, brown mustard, and more! Other members of the mustard family include tatsoi, mizuna, and bok choy. Mustards are also related to other Brassicas such as broccoli, kale, cabbage, and cauliflower. Growing mustard is easy and can provide nutritious leafy greens and seeds. Let’s talk more about it. What are Mustard Greens? Mustard is an easy to grow annual cool weather leafy green that is grown for its spicy leaves, seeds, and edible tuber root. There are several common varieties of mustard, including black mustard (Brassica nigra), white mustard (Sinapis alba), and brown mustard (Brassica juncea). Brassica nigra, or black mustard, is considered invasive in some places. It produces allopathic chemicals that prevent other plants from growing where it is growing. Garlic mustard, or Alliaria petiolata, and brown mustard, Brassica juncea, are also considered invasive in some locations. The best way to stop their spread is to cut off any flowers that form to prevent them from going to seed. You can also cut it down at soil level and remove all organic matter.
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A rite of passage for most beginner gardeners is growing cherry tomatoes. It can kickstart the love of gardening! Our tips make it easy. Growing cherry tomatoes is a great place to start growing all sorts of tomatoes. Most gardeners have tomatoes growing at some point. There’s much to choose from, with over 100 established varieties of cherry tomatoes. In the scheme of all tomato varieties cherries are easy to grow. Cherry tomatoes or Solanum lycopersicum were cultivated for centuries from wild tomato fruits grown in the Andes. Inca peoples selected them for their sweet taste and snacking ability. Anyone with the privilege of eating a ripe cherry tomato right off the plant knows why this happened. When you’re stocking up on tomato seeds for spring, consider growing cherry tomatoes. We like Chadwick’s cherry tomatoes from San Diego Seed Co. Whether you’re interested in heirloom seeds, black cherry tomatoes, determinate, or indeterminate seeds, cherry tomatoes make it easy to produce something worthwhile throughout the growing season. Grow them, eat them fresh, can them, and have sweet flavor infused with the sun year-round! Forget other tomatoes; let’s grow cherry tomatoes! All About Cherry Tomatoes Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme is also known as cherry tomato, as well as a wide selection of varietal names ranging from tomaccio to Sungold to Dances With Smurfs. They originate from wild tomatoes cultivated in the Andes by Inca peoples about 80,000 years ago. Tomato plants have trichome-covered leaves and fruits that cluster. The difference between cherry tomato plants and other tomato plants is that cherry tomato fruits and seeds are smaller. These tomatoes grow from flowers blooming on branches covered with green serrated leaves which connect to a central stem. External pollination occurs on tomatoes, but they are self-pollinators. The yellow tomato plant flower has five petals. After flowers die, fruit forms. The edible part of a tomato plant is the fruit. Leaves can be eaten, but they are poisonous to humans in large quantities. Like other nightshade plants, tomato leaves contain alkaloids solanine and tomatine that are hard to digest. Still, there is a lot of debate as to whether tomato leaves can be cooked. There are tons of cherry tomato varieties to choose from. I’m currently growing Cherokee purple cherry tomatoes, an indeterminate variety that exploded since spring moved into summer. They have purple skin, a red interior, and great flavor. Traditional red varieties are a great way to start your tomato journey. If a red tomato bores you, there are many types of tomatoes to choose from, including yellow and orange varieties. Planting Cherry Tomatoes Determinate varieties are easier to grow in containers (like the Air Pots stocked in our online store) or raised beds. Indeterminate varieties go wild in the garden and require a lot of space and care. Plant them in prepared ground. Leave at least four feet between each row of these plants. But choosing the right variety will have bearing on how to plant your tomatoes. Transplant summer varieties after the last frost. If you’re starting your tomatoes from seed, start those tomato seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost. Plant fall varieties a few months before the first frost. Tomato plants need deep holes, at least 10 inches down. Plant your tomatoes in deep holes to allow solid root growth and nutrient uptake. Add a tomato trellis early on instead of a tomato cage which cherry tomatoes quickly outgrow. The trellises or stakes (instead of cages) give you vertical room to work within your garden. This also prevents heirloom tomatoes from contracting diseases. Cages and stakes are great supports for your plants but due to clustering, consider a trellis for your tomatoes. Cages are a no-go here unless you have extremely tall cages that can handle indeterminate growth. Caring for Cherry Tomatoes Caring for a cherry tomato plant is easy if the right conditions are met and maintained every day. Here are key aspects to pay attention to.
Read MoreFind and share everyday cooking inspiration on Allrecipes. Discover recipes, cooks, and how-tos based on the food you love and the friends you follow.
We’re hot and spicy… literally!
Yes, you can now make your favorite takeout noodle soup at home with THE BEST homemade wontons! The wontons are also freezer-friendly!
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A healthy, hearty broccoli salad loaded with plump grapes and crunchy pecans tossed in a “skinny” Greek yogurt dressing!
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Saucy chicken, rice and veggies come together so easily right in the crockpot. Sure to be a weeknight staple!
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